The Situation

There is a significant stock of existing buildings in Ireland that are poorly insulated, have poor quality windows and inefficient heating systems – it is pertinent that these houses are improved if we as a nation are to reduce our CO2 emissions and reduce our reliance on imported energy sources. The new building regulations aim to further increase awareness of energy efficiency in buildings and apply this to existing dwellings.

On an individual level, ever increasing energy prices in terms of electricity, gas and oil will mean that these homes will become increasingly expensive to live in. While the new regulations do not stipulate that you have to improve the performance of your home (in fact they will not affect you at all unless you are renting or selling) from a practical point of view improving the efficiency of your home will reap rewards in the long term in terms of energy savings.

The Goal

Scroll over copy The new Building Regulations will require: • A Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate for every dwelling when rented, sold or leased. • This certificate will be valid for a period of 10 years provided that no amendments to the dwelling have been carried out in the meantime. • Each certificate must be accompanied by additional information which will suggest some cost-effective improvements for guidance only in order to improve the Energy Rating of the dwelling.

The Method

Scroll over copy Using a similar assessment method as for new dwellings, each dwelling will be assessed by an Energy Assessor accredited by SEI (Sustainable Energy Ireland) using an updated DEAP calculation method. This will label buildings from being inefficient (G Rating) right up to very efficient (A1 Rating). The BER (Building Energy Rating) label will clearly indicate the amount of energy used in kWh (kilo-watt hours) per square metre of floor area per year, though this will only be indicative as the calculation method makes certain assumptions on heating cycles and occupancy. Although most existing buildings will rate closer to ‘G’, even relatively small improvements can significantly improve the energy rating to at least a ‘C’.

The Assessment

Scroll over copy An SEI accredited assessor should be employed in order to carry out a survey of the existing building and compile all relevant information such as building dimensions, existing heating system, insulation levels and glazing details in order to determine the existing Building Energy Rating. This certificate will be provided to the homeowner along with a short list of recommendations to improve the performance of the building. This may include increased insulation levels, replacement of boiler, replacement of windows etc. As this is for guidance only there is no onus on the home owner to make these improvements other than the knowledge that they will significantly reduce both the cost of running their home and carbon dioxide emissions.

The Dates

Scroll over copy BERs for existing dwellings will be required for all dwellings when rented, sold or leased from January 2009. BERs will be required for all existing dwellings regardless of age.

The Recommendations

Scroll over copy Existing dwellings will generally have poorly insulated walls, floors and roofs, poor performance windows, high levels of air leakage and inefficient heating systems all resulting in dwellings that are very expensive to heat. The following recommendations should be considered to upgrade your home: Increase Insulation Levels: • The first step is to minimise heat lost through the building fabric. The easiest element to upgrade is the attic space as it is usually easily accessible. Consider a high performance rigid foam insulation such as Kooltherm K7 so as to ensure low fire risk and maximum thermal performance with minimum thickness of product. • The next step is to consider the largest element area (therefore greatest total heat loss) which is usually the walls of the dwelling. Where it is possible to upgrade this element an externally insulated render system utilising Kingspan Kooltherm K5 EWB board is an excellent method of significantly reducing heat loss with minimal disruption to the existing dwelling. An alternative is to use an internally insulated dry-lining board, though floor space will restrict the maximum thickness of the insulation and the procedure can be quite disruptive. • Lastly the floor could be upgraded but this will generally prove to be the most disruptive unless there is an existing suspended timber floor. In the case of a solid concrete floor it may be more realistic to just provide perimeter insulation at the junction between the concrete floor and the existing external walls as most heat loss occurs at this location. Replace Windows: Windows represent a significant path for heat loss especially if single glazed. • Replacement windows should be at least double glazed and have a U-Value of 2.00W/m2K (area weighted average for glass and frame). • Ensure that replacement windows are adequately sealed against the jambs and that there is no air leakage. Replace Heating System: • When the building fabric is upgraded it would be advisable to replace the existing heating system with a more energy efficient system. • The new heating system should have an efficiency of at least 86% but ideally closer to 90%. Other Improvements: • Solar hot water panels should be considered as part of the remedial works so as to minimise energy requirements during summer months. • Consider replacing and draught stripping all external doors. • Consider replacing standard light bulbs with more efficient and environmentally friendly Compact Fluorescent Bulbs.